


Just Another Day

by Quinis



Category: Rockman.EXE | Mega Man Battle Network
Genre: Gen, Has cover art, Japanese names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-04-29 00:51:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14461530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: Netto wakes up in a room with two sets of everything and another him. He and his twin brother are late for school, their grandfather might forgive them for not eating the breakfast he made and Enzan keeps glaring from his desk. Just another day, right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: I seem to write fanfiction based on games different to fanfiction based on shows. For one thing, I like to get the whole story done for game-based fanfictions, which is strange (and not at all what I'm used to). For another, game based ones feel a little different to me. They're written to follow a formula more than the ones I write for shows. Although, Rockman.EXE/Megaman.EXE does have a manga and a show which I've seen (I haven't finished the show yet - I'm in the middle of Beast), I do take most of my stuff plot-wise from the games. Characterisations tend to lean more towards the manga and show since the characters are able to have more character in them. But the plot seems to be the guiding factor here. Names... I went with the Japanese ones. No real reason, I just started this one with the Japanese names.
> 
> So, very broad analysis of my own writing aside, there's just two more notes to make. The first is that this story was actually inspired by a story by Neko-Salosa; ['A Life Best Not lived'.](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529817/1/A-Life-Best-Not-Lived) I read it and couldn't help thinking, '(certain antagonist) would totally do this,' even though I knew Neko-Salosa wasn't using that antagonist. So this idea was born.
> 
> The second is that this story has a cover! Yay! I commissioned [Larytello](http://larytello.tumblr.com) on tumblr (who runs the awesome [neatsaviors RP blog](https://neatsaviors.tumblr.com)) to do a cover for this story. And. It. Looks. Awesome! I love it~

****

* * *

Netto woke with his heart in his throat and the lingering sense of fighting something. He was in his room. He plopped back down onto the bed and grumbled;

"Ugh. I think I had a weird dream, Rockman." There was no response. "Rockman?" Sitting up again, Netto slipped out of bed and paused. His PET was in its dock like always but that wasn't what made him pause.

There was another bed in the room. It ran parallel with his, pressed against the opposite wall and was decorated in a pallet swap of his own green sheets. The shelf which Netto remembered being there had been moved near the door.

"Who are you?" Netto questioned, PET forgotten as he crept over to the bed and the stranger sleeping in it. He poked a round cheek and brushed his hand through brown bangs.

"Nnn." The stranger began to stir. His brown eyes squinted in his sleep before opening.

"Hello," Netto said, kneeling beside the bed.

"N-Netto?" the stranger stammered, jumping up and getting his feet slightly tangled in the sheets. He stared at the sheets and then around at the room. "Where are we?"

A suspicion started to form in Netto's mind. However, as he often did, he decided to play dumb. After all, he could be wrong.

"In my room. I think. I don't remember this bed. Or having two sets of everything." There was indeed two sets of everything. Two bags sitting by the door, two PETs, two charging docks and two beds. "Or two mes. Who are you, anyway?"

The strange with his face blinked slowly, as if trying to process everything at once.

"What do you mean, Netto? It's me, Rockman!"

"Rockman?" Netto looked the kid up and down. "Rockman.EXE?" Rockman nodded and gave him a pleading look but Netto wasn't fully convinced. He helped the kid out of the sheets. "Prove it," he ordered.

Rockman's mouth dropped open. "How am I supposed to do that?" He stumbled to his feet, a look of surprise coming across his face as his legs were weak after a night in bed. "What-"

A deep, rumbling voice from below interrupted, "Saito!" ' _Saito'_  Rockman mouthed, eyes wide. "Netto! If you don't want to be late, you should hurry up!"

The boys shared a look. "That wasn't Mama," they said in unison. Netto couldn't help thinking that someone was playing a horrible joke on them.

Rockman's expression was tight. Without smiling, he moved in front of Netto and towards the door. "Stay behind me."

"Got it," Netto said, falling into step.

* * *

The twins crept down the stairs. Humming could be heard from the kitchen. A round shaped man made his way around, his back to them as he fiddled around in the fridge.

Rockman held his fists up, ready to fight as the figure whirled around.

"Ah, boys. I hope you're not going to school in your pyjamas!"

They stared at him from the doorway, Netto angling to get a better look past Saito. The large and fluffy white beard which matched his combed hair allowed them to recognise this man, having seen pictures around their house.

"Grandpa?" Netto questioned.

This was weird. Grandpa had died before they had even been born.

"Yes, Netto?" the jolly man responded kindly.

Netto had no idea how to respond.

"Where's Mama and Papa?" Saito asked for him.

Tadashi Hikari laughed a deep belly laugh. "Boys, you know I don't keep tabs on where they go. Your father drags your mother all over the world for work."

Saito's mouth dropped open.

"So you're looking after us?" Netto asked.

Their grandfather nodded. "Now boys, you should probably get ready for school. It started five minutes ago."

Even though this couldn't be real, Saito's stomach dropped at the thought of being so late. Netto was about to shrug when Saito grabbed his arm.

"Quickly Netto!" he said. "We should get ready!"

"But we're already late!" Netto could be heard whining as his brother pulled him back up the stairs.

* * *

Saito and Netto puzzled out their problem as they got ready for school.

"This can't be real," Saito insisted, marvelling at the blue hoodies and vests. He grabbed one and pulled it on. They wore the same kind of pants but this world seemed to think they needed to be colour coded as Saito's shoes were just like Netto's, except blue instead of orange.

"I think it's kind of cool, real or not," Netto said happily. He glanced over at Saito who was sitting on the floor and glaring at his shoes and their undone laces. "Um…"

"I think I need some help," Saito admitted quietly, pulling his legs up and resting his head on his knees.

Netto quickly tied Saito's laces while telling him how to do them himself. At least Saito was a quick learner.

"I can teach you to skate!" he realised, eyes sparkling.

Saito groaned. "I don't know about that." From the PET, it was always a blur whenever Netto skated. He didn't think he could do it.

"I'm sure we can get some time skating in while working out why we're here."

Saito chuckled, Netto seemed so enthusiastic. "Let's just get to school first."

* * *

They were so late. Saito didn't even understand how it happened. According to Grandpa, they had left shortly after Meiru but they hadn't encountered her on the roads. Instead, Netto would skate forward and around poles and people in a circle until Saito caught up.

"Too bad this world didn't see fit to give you awesome roller attachments like mine!" Netto laughed as he skated into school. It was a far cry from the person who had offered to teach Saito to skate.

"No fair! Netto!" Saito shouted, dashing into school past his brother. The only good thing about this was that running didn't seem to wind him.

Saito paused inside the school building, looking around. It was a new perspective on a place he usually attended.

"Come on, we're late!" Netto said, grabbing his arm and pulling him past the picture of the principal displayed in a frame on the wall. Netto pulled him all the way up to Mariko Sensei's class and opened the door.

Mariko Sensei took one look at the twins and sighed.

"Netto. Saito. You're late."

Netto just gave his signature chuckle.

Saito bowed his head slightly, staring at the ground.

"Sorry, Mariko Sensei," they said in unison.

Mariko Sensei shook her head. "If you're late tomorrow, I'll have to have another talk with your grandpa."

"Yes, Mariko Sensei." One again, they responded in unison since the appropriate response was obvious.

They sat next to each other in the front row. The hairs on Saito's neck stood up as he sat down. He turned back to see Meiru staring at him. It made him nervous.

Papa had said that he was a secret. Saito didn't want to spill the secret, even if they were in another world.

Looking back, there was another thing he noticed.

"Netto," he whispered to his brother. "Why is Enzan here?"

Netto glanced back at the white and black haired teen, who was glaring daggers at them. "I have no idea. Maybe it has something to do with this world?"

* * *

The bell rang for lunch. Meiru came over to Netto's desk.

"Are we going to eat lunch together?" she asked him with a small glance Saito's way. Saito's gut went cold with the realisation that she was in the same situation as them. She was probably from their world.

"Netto," Saito said in his soft way. "Can we talk first?"

"Huh? Sure, Saito."

Meiru watched them go, confused and saddened. Enzan walked up to her.

"So, it's strange for Netto to avoid you?" he questioned.

"It's none of your business," Meiru countered. "You're not even supposed to be here."

"I know," he responded, causing her to pause for a moment. "We appear to be trapped in a world different to our own. Or something like that."

"Poetic," she said flatly.

His expression didn't change and he stared at her. "I woke up in a world where my mother is alive, I'm in school with Netto and the rest of you and there's two of Netto here."

"I think the other one is called 'Saito'," Dekao commented from his seat.

"Enzan knows that," Yaito pointed out. "He's just saying that it's a difference since Saito doesn't exist in our world."

"You guys as well?" Enzan questioned in surprise, looking down at the little blond girl.

"Yes, us as well. You'd know that if you bothered to jack Blues in during class," Yaito said. "Glide and the others were all talking about it."

"My house is in a completely different location," Dekao said. "It took me ten extra minutes to get to school!"

"My house and yard are much smaller than they are in our world," Yaito huffed in complaint. "And staff are almost non-existent. I don't know what's going on here, but I demand it be fixed!"

"There have to be some clues," Enzan mused.

"There's another kid I've never seen before in the class next to ours," Yaito informed him. "Maybe you should check him out."

"Meanwhile, we'll try to talk to Netto and confirm whether or not he's our Netto," Meiru said.

Enzan nodded, that sounded like a good plan.

* * *

Netto gave Saito a curious look. His brother had pulled them into a quiet corner of the library and was looking around to make sure no one else was in sight.

"Aren't you being a little paranoid?" he asked.

Saito sighed and took a seat. "I know I am. But Papa said this was supposed to be a secret."

"What?"

"This," Saito motioned to himself. "Rockman being created from Saito Hikari's data is supposed to be a secret because something like it had never been done before and, as far as we know, hasn't been done since."

"So?"

"If people knew, Papa said he could get into a lot of trouble. He broke rules when he used me… uh, Saito… for my… ugh, Rockman's base." Saito's face screwed up as he had to concentrate to not muddle his sentence up. He wasn't certain which nouns and pronouns to use, wasn't used to talking about this at all, and it was throwing him off. "And even if he hadn't, the Navi project which created me is supposed to be confidential."

"You're worried about telling our friends."

"They're obviously in the same situation as us but..." Saito trailed off, running his hands through his hair in frustration. Netto giggled, reminded of their father who did the same thing.

"It's okay. I'm sure we can work something out without spilling the secret."

Saito wasn't so sure but Netto smiled and was so certain it was difficult to remain pessimistic. Saito trusted his brother so he relaxed a little. Especially when Netto pointed out that this lunch would be Saito's first meal. Neither of them had been able to eat the breakfast Tadashi had created, but they both had boxed lunches curtesy of their grandfather.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Enzan opened the door to the next class, immediately identifying the new addition even though he had never been here before.

"You," he said, quickly walking over to where the tall kid dressed in green military clothes was sitting. "We need to talk."

"Enzan Ijuin," Laika stated. He stared at Enzan with a small smirk. "I was wondering if you would show up. You took longer than I thought."

Enzan suppressed the urge to hit him. He had come at the first opportunity.

"This is the first time I've ever really been here and it's the first break we've had from classes."

"Point," Laika said. "So, what's going on? Because I certainly don't recall being signed up for a cultural exchange here, nor the three months I've apparently been here."

"Same. There are little things off about this world. We're not the only two here."

"Netto?" Did Laika seem a little happier as he said that? Enzan felt a slight connection to the other kid. After all, Netto had a way of making the biggest crisis seem like just another day.

However, "unconfirmed. Meiru is going to attempt to talk to him and figure out whether he's ours or this world's."

Laika frowned, mood instantly darkening. "I suppose we need to gather information before anything can be done," he said.

"After school," Enzan said, informing him about the meeting the others had set up. While it frustrated him to work with amateurs, it was the best he had.

* * *

Netto and Saito returned to the classroom, moments before the bell, talking happily about different toppings for rice. Meiru watched and wondered. Would the Netto of their world talk like that with some strange creation of another world which presented itself as his new twin?

Enzan walked back into the room with a frown on his face, reminding her that, yeah, Netto was the type of person who would make friends with strangers. Especially if they were friendly back.

Saito seemed a lot more animated during class. He raised his hand, smirking at Netto in challenge as he got answers right. Soon, the two twins seemed to be challenging each other and seeing who could get the most questions right. It got so bad that Mariko Sensei sent both of them out of the room when they both bellowed the answer before raising their hands.

Mariko Sensei shook her head at the giggling that came from outside. Meiru sighed at the task before her.

* * *

The moment the final bell rang, she dashed over to Netto's desk.

"Netto! Hey," she said, face heating up as he looked at her. She probably looked a bit of a mess, hair falling loose as she tried to reach him before his twin.

However, Saito was also there, staring at her with the same mildly surprised expression as Netto on his face.

"Um, I was wondering if you noticed anything strange?"

"Strange?" Netto seemed to think for a moment. "Saito needed help with his shoelaces this morning." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth.

"Netto!" Saito's face went red. "Why'd you tell her that?"

"Well, what else am I supposed to tell her?" Netto said. "She asked!"

Saito buried his red face in his hands. "I'm never going to be able to show my face here again," he moaned.

"Come on, you're too sensitive," Netto laughed, slapping his brother on the back.

"I'm not the crybaby," Saito quipped back quietly. "Who was it that couldn't be consoled when his PET went missing a couple years back?" Netto had forgotten Rockman when he went to the park, having accidentally covered his PET with his bag. He had started crying when he returned to find it missing, thinking that Rockman was lost forever.

However, to Meiru, this sounded like the two boys recalling something in the past of this world. Something she didn't know.

"Saito!" Netto gasped, face turning as red as his brother's. "Why?"

"Because." And that was all Saito was going to respond with. His brother shaking him by the shoulders didn't change that.

Meiru saw Yaito waving at her so she left the two twins to their bickering.

"Well?" the blond demanded to know, forehead shining as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I have no idea if that's our Netto or not."

"How can you not know?" Dekao questioned.

"It seems like he's a part of this world but still..." Meiru sighed.

"You can't help but hope," Enzan said from in front of them. "Either way, we should start planning."

* * *

"Hey, Saito?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you see where Meiru went?"

"No," Saito said, drawing the syllable out as he thought. "Maybe she had something to do. Like food shopping for dinner?"

"Maybe," Netto responded.

Saito looked around, noticing that all their friends were gone. "I guess this means it's just us this afternoon. Hey! Maybe we can get your homework done!"

Netto groaned but then remembered something. He grinned at his brother.

" _Our_  homework. You have some too."

Saito seemed to only remember it when Netto said so. He checked his bag, breathing a sigh of relief when his homework seemed to be there and not forgotten at his desk.

"Okay, let's get this done!" he said, punching the air.

Netto groaned again as his twin pulled him out of the classroom. At least he could beat Saito home.

* * *

No one seemed to be home.

"We're back!" Netto called out, stepping inside and pulling off his shoes. Saito followed a step behind, looking around in wonder.

There was a door next to the stairs, which both boys were certain didn't exist in their world. It opened and Tadashi popped his head out.

"Hello boys," he greeted warmly. "I left some muffins in the fridge for you. Sadly, I have to work, an old colleague of mine is causing some problems and I'm trying to correct them."

"Okay?" both boys responded in confusion.

"Excellent! Enjoy your afternoon!" With that said, their grandfather vanished back into the room.

"Okay!" Netto announced, dropping his bag to the ground. "Let's got to the arcade!"

"Netto! What about our homework?"

"We can do that later, you know. Like after dinner or something." Netto grinned at his brother and bounced a little on his feet. "Besides, we don't even know if we'll be in this world tomorrow. What's the point on working on homework that we won't get to hand in?"

Saito sighed. The homework looked easy enough… maybe they could wait? It wasn't like they would be able to hang out like this every day.

"The point is to practise the skills taught in class and review skills our teachers expect us to know," he explained. "But, you are right. We should enjoy this chance."

"Yay!" Netto jumped in the air. "Let's go, Rockman!"

Saito laughed, heart jumping in his chest. "You better not call me that in public! It's Saito right now!"

Netto chuckled. "I know! Naggy big brother."

* * *

The arcade was lights and sounds and Netto pulling him to all their favourite games. Saito didn't like the shooting ones.

"They don't track my movements well," he complained as another shot missed. "That should have hit!"

"Adjust for it then," Netto said as he hit another one.

"It's not that easy! This is nothing like shooting a buster," Saito complained as fired another couple of shots. A comical western bad guy went down. Saito grinned at the little thrill that went through him. That was more like it. "I hit him!"

"Good, keep going!" Netto said, concentrating on the villains coming after him.

* * *

When their money started getting low, Netto pulled Saito over to a curry shop.

"It's too bad there's no Maha Ichiban here," he sighed.

"There doesn't seem to be any WWW here at all," Saito commented as he took a bite. He sucked down the sauce and chewed on the veggies. It was meaty, hot and he understood why Netto enjoyed it so much. There was just a lot he could enjoy with this. How he ate it or the different parts of his tastebuds he could invoke by chewing on different pieces. It was an exploration of his senses.

"Saito!" Netto snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"That's rude," he responded automatically, grabbing his brother's fingers. "What is it?"

"You were spacing on me. Curry that good huh?"

Saito felt his face heat up. "What? No!"

Netto laughed, not believing him. The he sobered as he said, "Higure's shop is missing too." After a moment, he muttered, "there's something else too."

Saito wondered what Netto was talking about. There were too many options.

"The net. It's much smaller and closed off. Navis can go into the school desks and computers but that seems to be it."

Saito paused. Now that Netto mentioned it, there weren't many places to plug navis in. He thoughtfully chewed his curry, wondering what that could mean.

"I wonder if these differences will allow us to find a way back," he mused.

"Who knows?" Netto responded with a sigh. "The best place to start might be with Grandpa. After all, he should know this stuff, right?"

Saito smiled and nodded. They had each other and they had a plan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: So I must have been more tired than I thought last night because I accidentally updated with the next chapter instead of this one! So you lucky people get two chapters for the price of one!

 

 

"Grandpa~!" Netto sung out as he walked into the house. Saito was a couple of steps behind him, wiping his shoes on the doormat before entering.

Netto tried the door from earlier but it was locked.

"Grandpa said he was working, right? Maybe this can wait until after dinner. And homework."

Netto groaned and stomped his foot. "Always with the homework!"

"Always," Saito responded softly with a small smile. It worked well against Netto's energy as he calmed down and grinned at him.

"Whatever, at least you've got to do yours as well."

Saito pulled out his bag and the homework, watching as Netto did the same. It was simple stuff but five minutes in, Netto was fidgeting. He tapped his pen, looked around, jumped at every noise and adjusted his position. It was beginning to drive Saito crazy as it distracted him from his own work.

It wouldn't be as simple as telling him to sit still. He had tried that as Rockman a couple of times and it never worked. Saito thought and thought and lost his trail of thought as Netto tapped his pen on the table.

He groaned, causing his brother to look up and pause in his tapping.

"Saito, what's wrong? It is difficult?"

Saito wished he could slap that smug grin off his brother's face.

"It's not difficult. It just-"

"Dull? Monotonous? Stupid?" Netto suggested.

"Not that last one," Saito said. "And your fidgeting isn't helping."

"Oh." Netto frowned and looked down at his page, apologising.

"It's okay. Can you read question ten to me?" Saito asked. "I want to make sure I understand it right."

Netto nodded and started reading. He finished and grinned in realisation, solving it himself. Saito looked over and blanched a little. He had known he had read it wrong and quickly adjusted his own response.

"Saito, can you help me with question six?" Netto asked.

"Read it to me," Saito said. Somehow that seemed to help as Netto trailed off partway through and scribbled down an answer.

"How does that look?" Netto asked.

Saito checked the answer and nodded. Exactly what he had.

"Good. Let's get this thing done," Netto said. "Then we can- oh." Netto paused.

"What?"

"I was going to say we could go on the net and bust viruses but," Netto waved his hand in Saito's direction. "You're not exactly able to bust viruses right now."

Saito sighed. "I know." He really could have done with the exercise. "Netto, can you read question eleven to me?"

"Sure."

That's how they worked their way through their homework. Saito liked hearing Netto read the questions as he solved them on the paper. Reading the questions also seemed to help his brother focus.

"I wonder what everyone else is doing?" Netto said once their homework was finished.

* * *

Meiru opened the door to her house and frowned at the interior which didn't match anything like what she had decorated it as. She pulled out her PET and looked at Roll.

"What do you think?"

"Enzan has a point," Roll said. "You're the best person to try and contact Netto."

"But," Enzan had suggested she try and get him alone and let him know about their meetings. If he was from their world, he would try and meet with them. "They all seem to think that he's our Netto. What if he isn't?" The idea scared her. This world was different in little, disturbing ways.

"I'm still here," Roll said. "And I guess, you do everything you can to return to him. I bet he's waiting."

Meiru smiled at her pink navi. She wondered how Roll seemed to have the answers ready and then remembered that there was no Rockman here. Roll was probably telling her exactly what she had been telling herself since learning of Rockman's absence.

Meiru took a calming breath. Do everything she could to return to him. She was doing that.

"What do you think? Should we go see if they're home?"

Roll nodded enthusiastically, glad that Meiru seemed to be back to her determined self. Meiru walked out of the strange house which both was and wasn't her home and crossed the yard over to the Hikari's house. She knocked on the door and waited.

"Boys!" a deep voice sounded on the other side. "Can you get that?"

The response was an in unison cry of 'no' followed by a softer, "sorry, Grandpa, we're at the boss!"

The door opened to a round, large but old man. His hair was a shocking white which matched his fluffy beard which reminded Meiru of images of Santa Claus.

"Um… hello?" she said.

He brightened, obviously knowing her in this world. "Meiru! I'm sorry about the boys, you know how they get when they're playing."

"I hope their homework is done," Meiru mused.

"I believe they finished it fifteen minutes ago."

Meiru was surprised. The old man chuckled, belly jumping as he laughed.

"I know. Netto actually did it for once. I think Saito helped him."

"Netto did it himself!" Saito called back, voice strained. "I would never do it for him!"

A high screech came from the couch. Netto's voice barked a moment later, "focus Saito! You almost got us killed!"

"I am focusing! You're the one who keeps jumping into the enemies!"

Meiru looked to Tadashi Hikari. The old man was smiling in a fond but tired way.

"Boys, maybe you should turn that off while Meiru is here?" he suggested.

Twin disappointed cries of 'grandpa' rang out and Meiru couldn't help giggling. She entered the house to find two similar faces staring at her from the couch.

"Hi Meiru," Saito said in small but sad voice.

"Meiru," Netto greeted flatly. "What's up?"

"I just came to see if you finished the homework," Meiru said. It was the only pretext she could think off, since she didn't know much about Netto's past in this world.

The boys shared a look.

"Of course," Netto responded. "Why wouldn't we?"

Meiru blinked. That didn't sound like her Netto.

"How's Roll?" Saito asked. His voice was soft and almost musical. Meiru found herself answering him. It was a harmless question.

"She's fine. Why?"

"Ah," Saito looked to Netto and then back to her. He ran a hand through his hair and gave a nervous laugh. "I was just wondering. You know we don't have customised navis and stuff and Roll's kind of cool."

"Cool? Really bro? Roll?"

Saito frowned at Netto, cheeks puffing up a little as he said, "shut up."

Meiru stared at Netto. "Wouldn't you like a customised navi though?" The Netto in her world had loved talking about customised navis before Rockman had come along. Then it had been all about netbattling and making Rockman stronger. Although, Netto did talk about certain customised navis whenever he encountered an 'awesome' one.

Netto looked at his brother with a thoughtful expression. "Nah. I think I'm good."

Saito's jaw dropped open, mirroring Meiru's. Netto grinned at their faces, chuckling a little.

"Come on guys, it's not like there's anywhere to plug in."

"You could netbattle," Saito pointed out.

"Against who?"

"Enzan, Dekao," Saito listed on his fingers. "Meiru-"

"Ah, no," Meiru responded, shaking her head. "We're fine thanks."

Saito stared at her. "That's a shame since Roll's so strong."

"He thinks I'm strong?" Roll questioned from the PET in a surprised and pleased voice. Meiru found her heart racing in panic. The strange program which had attached itself to Netto was winning Roll over!

"Um, I should probably go," Meiru said. "I need to get some piano practice done." She walked out of the house, hearing Netto question, in his dense way, why she had come over in the first place then. She also heard Saito scold him for being rude and making her feel unwelcome.

In a moment, she had crossed over to her yard. She dropped to the ground, leaning against her front door and staring at the sky.

"Meiru," Roll said sadly.

"I miss him," she responded, tears coming to her eyes. "I don't know anything! He has a grandpa and a twin brother here. Are we even childhood friends?"

"Of course we are," a voice responded from nearby.

Roll gave a high pitched squeak and turned the screen of the PET off as Meiru looked up to see Netto looking down at her with worried eyes.

"I didn't mean to make you feel forgotten," Netto said. He glanced over at his house, where Saito was waiting. The twin smiled and waved.

Meiru found herself waving back and smiling weakly. Saito seemed nice. She thought it was a shame that Netto wasn't a twin in their world. Netto seemed to make a good brother.

"It's fine," she responded. "I'm just being silly."

"It's not silly," Netto responded, shaking his head. "It's never silly to feel alone. I don't know what I'd do without Saito."

Meiru smiled, imagining the Netto she knew. He was fine without Saito but he also loved netbattling and had Rockman.

"Look, Grandpa says I should invite you to dinner."

Honest Netto. He couldn't just invite her, he had to tell her why. Meiru was okay with it as he wouldn't have asked if he didn't want her over.

"Sure."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally posted this chapter as chapter 3. So if you haven't read chapter 3 yet, go back and do so. It's filled with homework and Meiru talking with Netto. Two chapters for the wait of one!

 

Saito was warm. He pulled the covers closer around himself and snuggled into his pillow. It was only a moment later that the harsh beeping noise registered. He moaned, rolled over and hoped it would stop.

It did not. His eyelids were resting heavily over his eyes and he didn't want to open them.

There was a groan from across the room and Saito reluctantly opened his eyes, echoing the groan as he did so. Light was bright first thing in the morning.

Netto was fiddling with the alarm clock.

"Stupid thing, I hate you," he grumbled. He looked up to find Saito staring at him, looking like he was still in dreamland. "It's morning and we're late."

"Late?" Saito echoed with a yawn. The word seemed to click a moment later, his eyes snapping open. "We're late for school!"

Netto showed his twin the time and grumbled half-heartedly as Saito scrambled to get ready. Saito tossed his clothes to him and Netto pulled them on.

"I was wondering when you boys would come down," Tadashi said as they bolted through the living area. "There's something for you both to eat before you leave."

"No way, we're late," Saito said. Netto grabbed his bag and pulled him towards the table.

"No way, we're going to eat. We're late anyway so we might as well turn up with food in our bellies."

"But Netto-"

"I can lock the door and not let you out until you've eaten," Tadashi said.

"Grandpa-"

"Sit down, Saito and have something to eat."

The elder twin frowned at the table and sat down. Having to eat was something that would take some getting used to.

* * *

Mariko sensei didn't even look away from the class as the door opened.

"Netto, Saito," she said.

"Yes," they responded in tired unison.

"You're late."

"We know. Sorry, Mariko sensei."

"I know, boys." They were always sorry. "Take a seat."

Saito was a step behind Netto. He rested his head on his hand and spaced out a little during the lesson. He was still tired and he knew all this stuff anyway. It was kind of boring, having to sit here and listen to Mariko sensei talk.

Next to him, Netto was already dozing off. Saito tried waking him but it was more difficult to do so discreetly when he was a desk away. He shot a pleading look at Meiru, who sent Roll to wake Netto up. The assistance had not gone unnoticed.

* * *

When the bell rang, Meiru found herself with Enzan on one side and Yaito on the other. They guided her into the classroom next door where everyone was waiting.

"You seemed friendly to Saito today," Yaito commented. "Do you know about Netto yet?"

Meiru shook her head. "It seems like he's from this world. He acts like Saito's always been around."

Laika snorted. "He must be then. After all, even Netto would notice if a brother appeared suddenly one day."

"They do have a rapport," Enzan noted. "Alright, we progress without them for now."

"What is there to do?" Dekao questioned in confusion.

"Blues is already on the net," Enzan said. "I have him looking around, cataloguing changes and seeing if there's a limit or exit there."

"I doubt you will find one," Laika said.

"It can't hurt to look," Enzan countered. The two glared at each other.

Meiru leant onto the desk between them. "Okay. Should we send our navis in to help?" she asked, braking the glaring match as the two turned to her.

"It can't hurt," Laika said.

"Fine." Enzan picked up his PET. "Blues, the others will be assisting us. You can go ahead if you need to."

"How mean," Roll said. "We can keep up."

"Of course," Blues said flatly.

"Searchman." Laika picked up his own PET. "Don't lose Blues."

"Understood."

"Boys..." Yaito grumbled under her breath. "Glide!"

"Yes?"

"Run your own search. Attempt to cover the areas Blues and Searchman ignore."

"Yes."

The two boys glared at the small girl.

"What do you mean 'ignore'?" Enzan growled.

"Searchman knows how to conduct a search," Laika said.

The navis shared looks and wondered how long their operators could work together without fighting. Roll looked to her side, heart sinking at the empty spot. She didn't say anything silly like 'if only Rockman was here'. Although, she knew that if Rockman was here, they wouldn't be having this conversation.

"Let's go," Blues said to them, jumping up and scaling a building in moments. Searchman nodded and followed him a moment later.

Glide just walked along the ground and Roll followed him with Gutsman following at the end.

"It's empty, guts!" Gutsman said. The three looked around.

"Yeah," Glide agreed.

"It's like we're the only ones left in the net," Roll said. A navi walked past but she knew better than to talk to it now. She had tried the previous night. All the navis in this world's net seemed little more than programs made to look like navis, executing familiar commands and often repeating things they had already said.

"Maybe this is why Netto doesn't seem interested in netbattling in this world," Meiru suggested, having overhead their comments.

Dekao huffed. "Why does he seem so happy in this world, anyway?" he questioned.

"Because he's a part of it," Laika stated in a tone which said he thought it was obvious.

Dekao huffed, "he should know that something's wrong."

"But, he's not-" Enzan sighed. There was no explaining things to some people.

The door to the classroom banged and there was a cry from outside.

"Ahh! Saito!"

* * *

After they had eaten, Saito looked at the blades slipped into Netto's bag.

"Hey, you think I could try those on?" he asked. Netto followed his line of sight and grinned madly.

"Oh yeah!" he said excitedly. Lunch was the perfect time to teach Saito. He pulled out the blade attachments and showed Saito how they clipped onto his shoes.

Saito and Netto gripped hands together as Netto pulled Saito to his feet. He wobbled a little before his natural sense of balance took over and he stood.

Netto explained how to move and where the brakes were before telling Saito to skate around the classroom.

Saito grinned as the world moved like how it did when he moved slowly through a link. He glided down the aisle between the desks and spun to face his brother, parked in front of the teacher's desk.

"Yeah, yeah, you can move," Netto said in an unimpressed tone. "But can you  _skate?_ " he challenged.

Saito grinned; challenge accepted. He glided down the aisle with speed and precision, practically dancing around their classmates. Netto bolted down the desks and opened the door.

"Hey! Catch me!" he said, running outside. Saito skid to a stop, turned around and followed him out the door. He had to kick the wall across from their classroom in order to make the sharp turn into the hall.

However, instead of having run down the hall, Netto had pressed himself up against the door of the next classroom. Saito spotted him and adjusted his turn into a u-turn.

Grinning, Netto jumped away from the door. Then he realised something. The same thing Saito realised a moment before. Saito only had the space to slow down a small amount, certainly not enough to stop himself from slamming into the door.

They gasped in unison moments before Saito's face and hands slammed into the door.

"Ahh! Saito!" Netto cried, holding his brother's arms and guiding him to the ground.

Saito gripped his nose, eyes screwed shut.

"Ow," he moaned.

The door opened and Enzan stood there, glaring down at them. The twins looked up at him, Netto wide-eyed with a 'caught' expression and Saito practically glaring with his eyes watering and still rubbing his sore nose.

"What were you two doing?" Enzan demanded to know.

"Um…" they responded in unison. They were doing that a lot lately. As Rockman, Saito had relied on Netto to respond to people in the physical world while he dealt with navis in the digital world. Now they weren't really sure who should take the lead.

Enzan wasn't a Net Agent for nothing. He looked at the blades on Saito's shoes and got a vague idea what happened.

"You were rollerblading inside?" he questioned Saito.

"Netto was teaching me," Saito said with a shy grin.

Netto snorted. "Not much teaching going on, you're a natural."

Saito grinned at his brother. "It is fun though. Now I know why you travel like this everywhere."

"Not inside though. No one's that crazy, big bro."

"Except me, I guess?"

"Except you."

Saito grinned and nodded. "Good." He was perfectly okay with that.

Enzan was staring at them. Netto helped Saito to his feet and the two twins couldn't stop grinning.

"What's wrong, Enzan?" Netto asked when the other kid didn't move.

"You're both strange."

"Strange?" they questioned sharing a look.

Saito gave a bark of laughter. "I think that's fine," he said. Enzan glared at him and shut the door in his face. Saito chuckled again. This time it was a little more forced. "I don't think he likes me."

"Does he like anyone?" Netto joked.

"You. You're like the best of friends."

"What about you and Blues?"

Saito's smile faded as he thought about Blues, Roll and everyone else. "Yeah. I guess we're friends. But, they're not friends with 'Saito Hikari'."

The bell rang and the door opened with a bang, causing Saito and Netto to jump.

"What?" Yaito demanded to know with her hands on her hips and her shiny forehead flicking light at them. She then moved out of the classroom and into theirs.

Saito wondered what she was doing in another class. He wished for a moment that he could ask Glide but knew that the navi wouldn't answer any of 'Saito's' questions.


	5. Chapter 5

Netto frowned at the computer. School had ended over half an hour ago but he was still sitting at his desk, using the computer built into it to search the net. He groaned and slammed his head into the desk.

"Netto?" Saito questioned, looking up from his screen.

"This is so slow!" Netto grumbled. "I have no idea what we're looking for and our navis are useless."

"Netto, don't be too hard on them," Saito said, looking at the two generic navis. They had no reaction to Netto's frustration or comments. Nothing like his friends and the other navis in their world. Saito looked down at his homework and wondered if he should be helping Netto figure out what had happened instead of getting his homework done.

"I don't think we're going to find any answers on this net though," he stated.

"It doesn't stop me from trying!" Netto exclaimed. "I'm sure there must be some hint."

"Sure, if the hint is that everything seems to be from like twenty years ago."

Netto slammed the table. "That's it! Everything seems old. There must be a reason for it." Then he turned to Saito. "Unless your creation somehow advanced technology at a rapid pace."

Saito smiled and shook his head. Listen to his brother, he was smart when he put his mind to it. "My creation advanced navi technology but there are things off with more than the net. I mean, what about the extra room in our house?"

"Maybe we should start there?" Netto suggested with a mischievous grin.

Saito mirrored the grin.

* * *

No matter how they pulled, pushed, yanked or shoved, the door didn't open. Saito and Netto shoved their shoulders against the door in unison but it barely budged. They dropped down to the floor, Netto huffing from exertion.

"You boys could try knocking," their grandfather said, opening the door and slipping out. The door closed behind them and they realised too late that they missed the perfect chance. "Now, what's so important that you're trying to break down my door?"

"Detective work," Saito responded in a reserved manner. He looked Tadashi up and down, a little worried about what this facsimile of their grandfather would do if he knew they were looking to break this illusion.

"We're trying to get out," Netto said. "This isn't our world."

Saito stared in shock at his brother, wondering once again how Netto could just up and say that things which sounded so strange so easily.

Tadashi looked down at them and smiled sadly. "I was wondering when you boys would confront that."

"We have been since the beginning," Saito said.

"You haven't said anything. Maybe you should speak up more, Saito?"

Saito had a feeling their grandfather wasn't talking just about their situation.

"Does this mean you know what's going on?" Netto asked.

"I'm a part of this programmed world but also not," Tadashi explained. "So, yes. I have an idea what's going on."

"'Also not'?" Saito questioned.

"We have time," Tadashi said. "Have you boys finished your homework?" They both groaned. No, they had not. "Boys, you can't solve this in a day. Get the homework done for tomorrow."

"This sucks," Netto commented as he slowly ascended the stairs to grab his bag with Saito following behind him.

* * *

Tadashi chuckled, his large belly shaking as he placed dinner on the table.

"Curry!" Netto cheered happily. Saito gave their grandfather a small smile as he dug in.

"Are you going to tell us about our situation now?" he asked.

Tadashi nodded. "I'll start with the obvious. You're both currently programs."

"What?" Netto questioned, shoving a spoonful of curry into his mouth a moment later.

Saito looked down at the food. "This world seems rather... physical for the net."

Tadashi hummed his agreement. "That person put a lot of effort into this. It uses human memory to not only form this world but the experiences within, making it closer to the physical world than any other place on the net."

"That person?" Saito questioned out loud.

"How am I on the net then?" Netto asked.

"Do you really think SciLab hadn't looked into uploading humans to the net in a less permanent way than what was achieved with Saito?" Tadashi questioned with a chuckle. The twins figured he was right. Scilab would have experimented with uploading human consciousness. "I'm the result of an early attempt."

"What?" Netto said, coughing a moment later as the curry choked him for a moment.

"Like I said, I'm of this program but not. This program was built around me, a fragment of the real Tadashi Hikari."

Saito was a little disappointed that their grandfather wasn't fully here. But his program was and it was helping him. It gave him a warm feeling which he decided to focus on.

"Built around you? Like using your memories? Is that why some things seem old?" Netto questioned. He was correct. "So how do we get out of here?"

"I'm working on it," their grandfather said. "Sadly, as a memory fragment, I lack the innovative nature of a human. I know there is an exit beyond the door which is currently inaccessible to you boys. Perhaps if you brought your friends? They are trapped here too."

Netto nodded while Saito stared at the ground. How were they supposed to explain this? Netto was staring at him.

"It'll be okay, Saito. We don't have to explain you," he said reassuringly. "Let's just tell them what Grandpa told us and let them assume the rest."

"You mean, they might think I'm a memory fragment like Grandpa?"

"Or whatever they think the rest of the people of this world are."

Saito nodded. It did seem to be their only option. Netto was right, they could just ignore any questions about his existence here and focus on getting out.

* * *

The room was dark. Saito lay sleepless in his bed, worry coiling and curling in his gut. He turned over and ended up facing his brother's bed. It was startling to see familiar open eyes watching him in the darkness.

"You're not asleep," he whispered.

"Course not. You're upset," Netto responded as if it was obvious why. He pulled back the covers. "Maybe... we could share? If you think it'll help you sleep?"

Saito, despite being the older one, was out of his bed like a shot and cuddling up to his little twin. Netto's heartbeat took a few moments to find as the younger one threw the covers over them both and pulled him close.

Saito fell asleep to the 'thump, thump, thump,' of Netto's heart.

* * *

Meiru looked over at the empty desks near the front side of the room and then back at her friends. Netto and Saito were late.

"They're seriously late," Roll commented to the gathered navis. "Meiru can't help but worry."

"It's not like they're real. The real Netto's probably with Rockman, trying to find us," Glide said.

"However, it is a change in their behaviour," Blues pointed out. "Perhaps it means something?"

"What, guts?" Gutsman asked the tall, navi swordsman.

"Time will tell," Blues responded.

The door slid open and everyone's eyes were drawn to it. The navis watched through a screen as Netto and Saito stood wilted in the doorway.

"Netto. Saito. You're late," Mariko sensei said.

"Yes," they both sighed in unison, lacking energy. It seemed they weren't fully awake yet.

"If you're late tomorrow, I'll have another talk with your grandpa."

"Not like you ever had the first one," Netto muttered.

"Yes, Sensei," Saito responded over Netto's mutter.

Meiru shared a look with Enzan, silently questioning if he noticed Netto's behaviour. Enzan just raised his eyebrows. It could have meant anything from 'I don't understand what you're thinking' to 'perhaps there's something going on there'.

Saito plopped into his seat, yawned and closed his eyes.

"Saito!" Netto hissed as his brother lay his head on the desk. "You can't sleep here!"

"I'm tired," Saito muttered back. He sat up though, looking just as bleary-eyed as his brother.

The navis watched in interest.

"What do you think happened?" Roll asked, heartstrings tugging. The boys looked really tired.

"Probably nothing," Glide said. "It could just be a distraction to keep us from working on getting out of here."

"I agree," Enzan said, his face appearing above Blues. "We'll talk more at lunch. Blues, go update Searchman."

"Yes, sir." Blues vanished in a slow shower of pixels.


	6. Chapter 6

 

The lunch bell rang. Saito was snoozing on his desk, tired from lack of sleep he had the previous night. Netto went to wake his twin when Meiru grabbed his arm.

"Let him sleep," she whispered, pulling him away.

"But, Meiru-" he whined. He and Saito had planned to talk to their friends together. He cursed his brother for falling asleep as Meiru pulled him into the next classroom.

Laika was sitting at a desk, Dekao and Yaito were standing next to it and Enzan was sitting on it. They looked confused when they saw them.

"Why did you bring him?" Dekao said.

"Wow. What did I do to you?" Netto countered.

"I have to agree. Netto in his current state is useless," Laika said.

"Useless?" Netto questioned in anger. He thought he and Laika were beyond petty insults. "So just because I don't have Rockman, I'm suddenly useless? Hardly."

"Rockman?" Dekao, Gutsman, Roll and Enzan questioned with varying tones of expression.

Meiru smiled smugly. She had known this was her Netto. She had just known it.

"Provide an example then," Laika countered. "Just how are you useful?"

Netto explained about his grandfather. How he was a memory fragment of the man himself and hinted at knowing a way out of this world.

"I don't know. You seem quite happy in this world, Netto," Dekao accused. "I mean, you have another you."

Enzan nodded in agreement with with a disapproving frown on his face.

"Another me?" Netto questioned.

"Saito," Yaito translated.

Netto blinked in confusion. "Saito's in no way another me. He's responsible."

The group shared a look, not really willing to admit that they didn't really see it. At that moment, the door opened and Saito stood there, rubbing one of his eyes and yawning.

"Why didn't anyone wake me when the bell went?" he questioned

"Because you looked so cute sleeping there," Netto cooed in a playful tone. Saito stared blankly at him and then turned to Meiru.

"Meiru, be honest, is there anything on my face?" he asked. Confused, Meiru shook her head. "Netto didn't draw anything on my face?" Understanding dawned and Meiru confirmed that Saito's face was clear of graffiti.

Meanwhile, Netto's face lit up as that was a brilliant idea. Then it faded as he realised his chance had passed. It was these expressions that allowed Saito to breathe a sigh of relief. Netto hadn't pulled a prank on him.

"Good."

"Saito knows you well," Roll commented with a giggle.

Netto groaned in frustration. "I can't believe I didn't think of it!"

Saito's expression said he was glad that Netto hadn't thought of it. "So, have you told them yet?"

"About grandpa? Yeah."

"Wait. You know about us being from another world?" Yaito questioned in an annoyed tone. "And you believe it?"

"Technically, we're in the same world," Saito responded. "Although the digital world of the net kind of counts as another world, it's connected to the physical world you all came from and vice versa. The worlds aren't independent of each other."

"Uhhh, what?" Dekao's face screwed up as he tried to process what Saito had said.

"We're on our net. More specifically, we're most likely on a cut off server with some kind of alternate Akihara programmed into it," Saito said.

"And how do you know this?" Enzan asked.

"Grandpa told us," Netto said. "Last night. When we asked. Apparently, this Akihara is based off the one from over ten years ago with our memories influencing our more familiar attributes of it. Or at least, that's the working theory. I admit, there are some issues with it."

"You only thought to ask last night?" Laika questioned with a frown.

"It's hard to get Grandpa to sit down long enough to ask a question," Saito responded quickly. He didn't appreciate the dismissive look Laika shot him.

"If we're on the net, what about our navis?" Meiru asked.

"Oh! I know," Yaito said. "They're probably in another room. Like how games used to be developed with different 'rooms'. It's probably one we can't perceive except through our PETs and one which lacks a door to our location."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"If that's true," Enzan finally said, "then we risk leaving our navis trapped here when we leave. They're not connected to our PETs since these things-" Enzan waved his PET for emphasis. "-just allow us to view them in a different location."

The navis were still. Roll had clasped her hands together at her chest, hoping that they would be able to find a way for everyone to get out safely. Blues silently trusted in Enzan finding an acceptable solution. Glide and Gutsman shared worried looks while Searchman frowned at the group.

"Don't worry," Meiru said to them all. "We'll find a way to get you all out with us."

"Of course," Netto added enthusiastically. "Let's plan at our house! Yay!" Netto punched the air.

"Who put you in charge?" Dekao questioned.

"Who decided to leave him out of all the previous planning sessions?" Saito asked him in return. Those who heard him looked guilty.

"You can't blame us for that. It was difficult to tell whether or not he was from our world or a product of this one like you," Laika pointed out.

Saito grinned, a strange reaction to being insulted as an outsider to their problems. However, he saw Laika's response as confirmation that they hadn't the slightest clue of who he was outside this manufactured world.

His secret would be safe.

"Netto!" he said to his brother. "How about we get a treat on the way home?"

"Ice cream?" Netto questioned. Saito thought about it and looked at everyone else.

They nodded.

"Why not?" he said with a nonchalant shrug.

* * *

"Grandpa!" the twins called in unison as they opened the door to their house. They looked around but there was no sign of the round old man.

"He's probably in the room again," Saito sighed as Netto tried in vain to open the door.

"Let me try," Enzan said, gently pushing Netto aside before trying himself. The door didn't budge.

Saito rolled his eyes, grinned and knocked twice. The door opened, revealing their smiling grandpa.

"I see you brought your friends," Tadashi said, opening the door wide. "Come on in."

Inside was a lab. It was taken up by a large table and computers covering two of the four walls. On the table were plans. Plans for robots, for connections between computers and even plans for net navis.

"Welcome to a replica of my lab, from before we received funding to work on what would eventually become the net you know."

Netto and Saito looked around. It seemed that all Hikari men liked leaving things around wherever.

"How do you find anything?" Saito questioned.

Tadashi chuckled, belly vibrating. "Oh ho, my boy, I'm just a fragment. I don't need to find anything. I know everything in this room and a little more."

"A little more?" Enzan questioned.

Tadashi frowned seriously. "Yes. I have an idea who's behind this. The success of what he's planning depends on the actions and ethics of all gathered here."

"What do you mean by that?" Yaito demanded to know.

Tadashi walked over to the empty wall. He placed a hand on it and it pulsed. "The exit is not in this closed off space but the space in which your navis inhabit. Even if they found it, they would not be able to leave without you."

"How cruel," Roll lamented from the other side of the PET window. "Please, if we find this exit is there some way Meiru can get out with me?"

"Of course," Tadashi said with a smile. "You all can leave." All but Enzan and Laika shared happy grins. "Although, I doubt it'll be easy with Rockman sealed away."

Netto and Saito shared a look while the others were surprised at the mention of Rockman being in trouble. Saito guessed their grandfather was talking about him being 'Saito' right now. He certainly didn't have his navi abilities right now. No weapons meant he was limited in how he could help.

"Why is Rockman so important?" Laika asked.

"That's not for me to answer," Tadashi responded. "Now, have your navis locate a wall in that net world."

"A wall?" Dekao questioned sceptically.

"What does it look like?" Enzan asked.

"Like this one. Right down to the scratch across the corner here," Tadashi said, pointing to a white slice through the wall.

"You heard him," Laika said to Searchman. "Let us know when you find the wall."

"While they do that," Tadashi said, "I'd like to look over Saito."

"Eh?" Saito questioned. "Why?"

"My boy, there might be something coded into you which would reveal the world's creator," his grandfather told him.

Saito didn't like the sound of that. He also didn't like the distrustful looks Enzan and Laika were shooting his way.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Netto said to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Saito smiled a little as he leant into his brother's warmth. "Grandpa knows what he's doing, right?"

Tadashi looked away. "Ah, I wonder."

"RIGHT?" Netto repeated a little more forcefully.

Tadashi chuckled. "Of course, Netto. I will take the best of care with Saito."

"See?" Netto said, grinning at Saito.

Saito smiled back, thinking that his family was the best.


	7. Chapter 7

 

Saito sat on the table while his grandfather looked over the monitors and sometimes came up and put his hand on his chest.

"Yes. The Rockman shell program my son used for your frame is locked away," he mused as he worked.

"Is there a way to get it back?" Saito asked. He was starting to get worried. Tadashi had pretty much confirmed that, if nothing was done, he would still look like this outside of this world. There were very few navis and net battlers who would be okay with battling against a navi who looked like a kid.

"Perhaps. It looks like it is set to unlock under certain conditions." There was a banging on the wall. "Ah, that must be your friends now."

"Okay, what do we do?" Saito asked, looking at the wall. Tadashi picked up a chair.

"Care to help me?" he asked, motioning towards the other chair. Saito picked it up and flinched as his grandfather slammed the chair into the wall.

"What was that?" Enzan demanded to know, after composing himself. Netto was holding back his laughter from seeing Enzan jump in fright.

Tadashi demonstrated by doing it again. "Get your navis to shoot from the other side. Saito get over here and help!"

Saito swallowed and stepped towards the wall. He slammed the other chair into it right when he heard Enzan order Blues to fire.

The wall rippled and exploded into bits of data. On one side of the wall was their vaguely physical lab. On the other, the bright colours of the net.

Saito felt his mouth drop.

Blues and Enzan cried out each other's names before Enzan demanded a report. Roll and Meiru ran to hug each other. Dekao and Gutsman shared a fist bump. Glide knelt before Yaito. Searchman and Laika saluted each other.

Netto and Saito shared a look before smiling. It was nice to see their friends in the same world.

"What do we do about Saito?" Netto asked their grandfather.

"It is possible that the person who did this could undo it," Tadashi said. He extended a hand out of the wall and watched as it rippled and began to break apart. He quickly pulled it back and it reformed. "However, I cannot exit this area. It contains the code and memory which keeps me going."

"What?" Saito said, feeling something pierce his heart. He hadn't realised until now that he had been entertaining the idea of bringing this piece of their grandfather back with them.

It would be nice to have another family member on the net with him.

Tadashi placed a hand on his grandson's head. "It's okay, my boy. You'll do just fine without me." He pulled Netto in close and hugged them both. "You boys are stronger than you know."

"Grandpa," they said in unison.

"I'm sure you can get Saito back to normal. And I know that you can keep Dr Wily's plan from being a reality."

"Dr Wily?" Netto said in shock. The twins shared a look. Dr Wily was behind this?

"Why would he do this?" Saito questioned.

"I am not certain," Tadashi responded. "I can only make conjecture based on my memories. I know that, in my time, it would be quite an upset if it was revealed that a scientist not only uploaded a human to the net but used a child, his own child, to complete his experiment."

"That's not how it went!" Saito bellowed, pushing himself away. He flushed a little and lowered his voice. "Papa's not like that."

"I know," Tadashi responded sadly. "But different people see things in different ways. Where one man sees a success, another can see failure. It takes many kinds to fill this world, don't ever forget that."

The boys were slightly confused but their friends weren't going to let them ponder for long.

"Netto, come on! Let's leave this place and go home!" Dekao called.

"Home, guts!" Gutsman echoed.

Netto looked over at their grandfather and, with one last hug, stepped out of the programmed world and onto the net. Saito looked at the net, his stomach sinking. What if he was nothing more than a fabrication like their grandfather? What if this was the last time he saw his brother?

"Come on you slowpoke!" Netto said, walking back over and grabbing his arm. Before Saito could tell him to wait, he had been pulled out into the net.

* * *

Instantly, everything felt different. The air was filled with data, a slight tingle in the area around him. Saito looked down at himself and was disappointed to see a blue shirt sporting his symbol and not the jumpsuit he was used to. His hand went up and brushed through his hair as he sighed.

"I guess it couldn't be that easy," he said.

"Hey, at least we're out. Maybe if we find our way to Papa, he can fix it!" Netto said.

The rest of the group was staring at them.

"What?" the twins questioned.

"Netto, why is Saito here?" Meiru asked gently.

The twins shared a look.

"Um..." Saito hummed, raising his hand a little since they seemed to be focused on Netto. "Can I ask what you mean?"

Enzan cleared the gap between them and stood right before Saito, frowning.

"Enzan," Blues said, a step behind his operator. "Perhaps it would be best to not get too close."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Netto demanded to know, glaring at Blues.

Saito, the object of the apparent suspicion, just frowned.

"Tadashi Hikari wasn't able to leave the radius of the created world. However, you, Saito Hikari, could. Why is that?"

"I... I don't know?" Saito lied. He knew exactly why. Because he was a navi like Blues and the rest of them.

Or because he was human like Netto.

It had been a while since Saito had felt torn between his human and navi selves. He wasn't a complete navi like Blues but he wasn't a complete human like Netto either.

"Leave Saito alone," Netto said firmly and without yelling. "He'll explain if he wants to."

"You know why?" Laika asked Netto. Netto held the young soldier's gaze and nodded. "Fine. I assume you want Saito to come along with us?"

"Yes," Netto said.

"Do I get a say in this?" Saito asked his brother.

"No. Now be quiet, big brother, we netsaviors are talking." Netto grinned at him and Saito shook his head.

He was going to get Netto back for this.

* * *

The group seemed content to let Saito tag along as they walked the path which would hopefully bring them to an exit point. Saito noticed that they kept their distance from him as if not quite sure what to make of him.

Roll slowed her steps and ended up next to him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

He hummed in response, not quite sure what she was getting at. In the distance, he noticed Gutsman shooting him looks of the 'don't touch Roll' variety.

"I mean, you're leaving everything behind," she asked, "it wouldn't be surprising if you were feeling sad."

"It wasn't everything," Saito said, "only a short look at what could have been." He smiled at her. "As long as I'm with Netto, I'm good."

He paused then, something pricking at his dulls senses. Perhaps it was a sense that this was going too smoothly. "Netto-!" he started to say before the ground shook.

"Viruses!" Searchman informed them.

"Eliminate them!" Laika ordered. Searchman levelled his gun at some of the green kite-like Kiorushin viruses skimming through the air, right towards them, and fired.

Blues was already moving, slashing through waves of the knight-like Suwōdin, skillfully dodging the flaming swords being swung at him. Roll jumped into action to protect Meiru as a couple of cannon-like Kyanōdamu viruses fired at the girl. Roll's antenna took surprisingly quick action against them. Gutsman helped her out, beating on any of them when they locked onto her. Glide provided support from the back, firing cannons at any viruses that got past the flank of navis.

"This sucks!" Saito moaned to Netto a couple of moments into the fight as he itched to join them. He ran his hands through his hair, tossing it into disarray in his frustration. It kept its part through the middle as he almost pulled strands in each direction.

"I know. We can't do a thing," Netto sighed as Meiru fed a couple of chips to Roll.

"This sucks," both twins sighed again, this time in unison.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Only this chapter and the next left. Hope you're all enjoying this little tale.

 

 

The battle was over quickly, the viruses overwhelmed by the teamwork from the navis and their operators. Enzan looked over the area, now empty of viruses, as Searchman searched the area for anything they might have missed.

"There's someone over there," he announced, pointing in the direction the viruses came from.

"Do you think it's the person who put us in here?" Saito asked quickly, hoping to find them soon.

Searchman shrugged. "It's someone."

"Good enough," Enzan said. "Someone to question is better than no one."

"Whatever you say," Laika said. "Let's go." He started moving, Blues behind him.

Saito stuck close to Netto, worry curling in his gut. He was beginning to think that he wasn't going to get out of this without exposing his secret. Already, he ached to be able to do something to help, not caring about the consequences.

"An old temple?" Netto questioned as a towering square structure came into view.

"It's the first building we've seen since leaving the false world," Enzan said. "Let's go in."

"Be careful," Blues suggested as they walked up the steps.

"This is rather exciting," Roll said. "Who knows what we'll find up there."

"I know," Meiru said happily. "And soon we'll be home."

"Yeah!" Dekao agreed. He pointed a finger at Netto. "And then we can netbattle!"

"Rockman and I will win," Netto said. Saito grinned and nodded, heart racing at the thought. It had been a while and he couldn't wait to burn off some energy in battle.

* * *

The temple was quiet. Their footsteps tapped around the room, making an almost musical sound as they walked through. It looked like it was made of stone with pillars holding the roof high above them.

Saito found himself buzzing a little. There was something in this place. As everyone started walking down a thin corridor, he paused in front of a mural. Meiru and Roll, who had been behind him, couldn't progress as they didn't want to squeeze past him.

"Is there something wrong, Saito?" Meiru asked.

Saito shook his head but didn't move. There was something about the image. He reached out and touched it. Data sparked to life, flowing through his fingers.

He knew what this was. He let the data, the image shaped like a familiar blue figure, flow into him. When it was done, he looked the same but felt different. He could feel the data around him, quite sharply for a few moments before things faded back to normal.

_Connection re-established._

Ahead of them, Netto let out a happy cry. He held up his PET for a moment then ran and hugged Saito.

"You did it!" he said.

"There was data in the walls," Saito explained calmly, although he was grinning widely as he hugged his brother back.

* * *

The hall led towards an open area. A voice chuckled in the distance as a number of viruses appeared from the roof, the columns and walls.

"Now what will you boys do?" it questioned. "You have the ability to fight but not without risking everything."

"'Boys'?" Yaito questioned in anger. "Glide, show them who they're dealing with!"

Glide responded in the affirmative, moving forward and firing the cannon Yaito sent him.

"Blues, make sure Glide doesn't get deleted," Enzan said to his navi. "Laika, Searchman! Search the area while taking out as many viruses as you can!"

"Of course," Laika responded, as if that course of action was obvious.

"Gutsman will help, guts!" Gutsman said, punching away blue mettōru after blue mettōru.

"Yeah! Gutsman!" Dekao called out, slotting in some chips for Gutsman to attack with.

Meiru and Roll did not actively join the fray. They slipped over towards Netto and Saito, who itched to help, could help but not without exposing Saito. The girls had a feeling they knew who the voice was talking to.

"Are you going to fight?" Roll asked them.

The twins gave her the same shocked look.

"Uh... no," Saito said with a glance at Netto.

"I can't really do much without Rockman," Netto said.

Saito shifted under the glance the girls sent him.

"I guess. But any idea what 'risking everything' might mean?" Meiru asked.

Dr Hikari could get in a lot of trouble if it got out that he experimented on his son. Saito himself wouldn't be seen as a human or a navi. His friends would treat him differently. The first and the last were the ones which made Saito hesitate.

Saito looked over at their friends, flinching as Gutsman was blasted with a shockwave and sent back. Dekao cried out and rushed towards his navi, blind to the attack heading straight towards him.

"Roll!" Meiru said, slotting in an area steal chip. Roll seemed to vanish before their eyes before reappearing in Dekao's path and pulling him out of the way of the attack. They reached Gutsman, whose arm was leaking scrap data into the air.

Saito felt sick. They had to do something.

"We have to do something," Netto muttered. "I wonder if there's some way I can fight."

No. Way. Saito glared at his brother.

"You're not fighting," he said.

"But-"

"I'll do it." He was Rockman. He would fight to protect Netto and his friends until his data corrupted and he was deleted.

"But, what about the secret?"

Saito smiled. It was a light smile, the one Rockman always smiled to reassure his brother that everything would be alright. "I guess I'll have to apologise to Papa."

Meiru looked between the two, moments away from comprehending what they were talking about.

"Let's do it!" Netto said, pulling out his PET. He opened the new program which had been installed upon reconnecting with Rockman.

Saito stepped forward, feeling the program start.

"Battle routine set..." Netto started.

"Execute!" Saito finished, light enveloping his body as the program executed. He felt his previous power unlock and return even as he rushed forward to protect Roll, Gutsman and Dekao from the onslaught of viruses heading their way.

"Rockman?" Roll questioned in shock, having seen Saito's transformation out of the corner of her eye.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he responded, firing off a couple of shots. Netto gave him some battle chips and he sliced through the enemies quickly.

* * *

The battle was over, the enemies dispersing as if Rockman's appearance had triggered something. The navis made a dent in their numbers and very few managed to escape into the far reaches of the computer.

Rockman breathed a sigh of relief, then tensed as Blues pointed the end of his blade at him and Searchman levelled his gun.

"Hey!" Roll stepped up next to Rockman. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Where have you been?" Blues demanded to know.

"Right here," Rockman responded.

Enzan looked over at Netto, who was looking thoughtfully at his PET.

"If you had Rockman on you the whole time, why didn't you say anything?" he demanded to know.

"Because we weren't able to do anything until now," Netto said. He pressed a button and Rockman jolted as his armour vanished in a flash of light, leaving only Saito.

"Netto!" he bellowed in frustration. He glared at his twin. "You better be able to undo that!" And he was going to get their father to disable that feature.

"Yes, yes," Netto said in a placating tone. He pressed a couple more buttons and, in a flash of light, Rockman stood before them once again. Rockman breathed a sigh of relief. "No playing with that feature, got it."

"Oh no, young Hikari, use it all you like," a voice said. Stepping out of the darkness was a bald old man with grey hair spiking out at the sides of his head. He cackled.

"Dr Wily!" everyone said in unison. They all knew the infamous leader of WWW on sight.

"So you are behind this!" Netto shouted.

"Of course!"

"Why? What do you get out of this?" Enzan asked.

"Why don't you ask the elder Hikari?" Dr Wily said. He smiled at the angry look Rockman sent him.

"' _Elder Hikari'_?" Laika mused. "Come to think of it, you called Netto ' _young Hikari'._   _Young_  as in  _younger_?"

"Isn't Netto an only child?" Yaito questioned.

Netto chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Not quite."

Yaito looked over at Meiru, who didn't seem surprised by this news.

"I knew," she said. "Because there's a picture in Netto's room, his real room, of two children."

"And Papa has one on his desk of all four of us," Netto pointed out.

"Really now?" Dr Wily said in an interested hum.

"Don't you go using this against Papa!" Netto cried out.

Rockman sighed. "I think it's a little too late for that."

"Yes, I have already achieved my goal," Dr Wily confirmed. "I must thank my old friend, Tadashi, for making it possible with his memory data. So, elder Hikari, how did you like the life you didn't get to live?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed this story. There will probably be more Rockman/Megaman stories in the future since I've got a couple of works in progress.

 

 

Everyone looked over at Rockman, who was still frowning. Rockman's personality program warred with what he really thought of Dr Wily's plan.

"I hate it. I love being with you all and being able to touch and play with Netto was awesome but," he said, seeing the shock on people's faces. "We can still be together the way we were and… school is boring. I already know it all," he shrugged. "I could sleep through it all and still get the work done."

"You did," Netto grumbled, thinking back to the final class of the day where Saito had done just that. "I hated that part too. I want you to help with my work, not have to complete your own. I feel bad asking when you have homework and stuff too."

Rockman was surprised. Netto had shown no sign of dissatisfaction with any of it. He was strikingly reminded that not even he could know Netto's real feelings if his little brother went out of his way to believe everything was okay.

"And getting up in the morning…" he warred with the politeness installed in him by his father. Finally, he squeezed out, "it is not pleasant. I miss having an internal clock and alarm within the PET." Netto nodded in agreement. On a roll, Rockman added, "leaving me with navi strength was probably a mistake too, since I smashed that thing this morning."

"It's why we were so late," Netto explained.

"Wait, that wasn't Netto?" Meiru questioned, having seen the smashed clock in the Hikari house before they left.

"What? No. Mama has made it clear what will happen if I ever break an alarm clock," Netto said. It didn't stop him from tinkering with them but it did stop him from throwing or smashing them.

"And I have received no such warning," Rockman added. "Anyway, I would prefer to stay like this and go back to just keeping Netto organised, fighting viruses and just being a navi, thank you very much."

"I don't really get what's happening," Dekao finally said to break the silence. "Saito was Rockman, I get that but-"

"Saito Hikari was,  _is?_ " Meiru glanced over at the twins.

"Is," Netto said with a shrug. Tense didn't really matter.

"Is Netto's older twin. I'm not sure what happened-"

"He 'died'," Dr Wily said with a grin and making quotation makes with his fingers. Saito rolled his eyes and Netto hid his laughter behind his hand. "And Yuichiro Hikari sought to keep him alive using the independent navi project he was in charge of at the time. He  _experimented on his own child to complete the project!"_  Dr Wily's voice rose in pitch as he finished, his voice excited.

"I really want to punch him," Rockman commented in a deadpan. He glared at Dr Wily.

"I wouldn't blame you," Laika responded.

"Want me to shoot him?" Searchman asked, aiming his weapon.

"He is a criminal," Laika mused.

"No," Netto and Saito said flatly and in unison.

"He's still our way out of here," Enzan said.

Dr Wily jumped into the conversation at the sound of the words 'way out'. "Of course," he said smoothly, stepping to the side where a link appeared. "This link will return you to your PETs and bodies."

Yaito wasn't convinced. "That's it?"

"I can't defeat you all at once," Dr Wily said, "and my goal has been achieved." He took a step back and vanished into the light.

"What do you think?" Enzan said to Netto.

"I don't think he was lying." Netto knew that. He could guess what Dr Wily's plan had been; discredit Yuichiro Hikari.

"Let me try!" Dekao said, jumping into the light, Gutsman scrambling behind him.

"He does realise we have no way to know if he made it out okay, right?" Laika asked.

The group was silent.

"I'll go next," Meiru said, walking up with Roll beside her. They smiled at each other, sharing a tight hug before stepping through together.

Netto decided to go next, grabbing Rockman's hand and pulling him over. "Come on," he said, "let's get this over with."

"Please," Rockman responded with a tired smile. "I'm ready for things to go back the way they were."

"It was great being here with you," Netto said as they hugged. Rockman squeezed him tightly.

"Same."

They stepped through together.

* * *

Those with physical bodies woke in a chair with a helmet over their head. It took a couple of tries for Netto to move his body enough to lift the helmet off. Placed in a slot in the arm of the chair was his PET.

"Did that really happen?" Netto asked Rockman.

Rockman nodded. "Maybe you should check on Meiru," he said. The chairs were all lined up and Yaito was pulling off her helmet, having just arrived.

Meiru was stretching in front of an empty chair. Netto assumed it had been the one she had woken up in.

"Everything okay?" he asked her.

"Seems like it," she responded.

"Rockman?" Roll asked.

"I'm fine, Roll. How about you?"

She smiled. "Everything is just the way I left it."

Once everyone was awake, Enzan called the authorities to come get them.

"Netto, what about me?" Rockman asked.

"Right!" Netto said, turning to everyone. "Um… about Saito-"

"We'll keep it a secret," Laika responded. "It's not any of my business what one SciLab scientist did in the past."

"Classified information is that way for a reason," Enzan said. "I'll make sure anyone who handles this case knows that."

"We're certainly not going to say anything," Yaito said, with a glare at Dekao.

Netto breathed a sigh of relief, echoed by Rockman in the PET.

* * *

Netto woke in his own sheets to Rockman's happy shouting to get up.

"Yes, yes," he mumbled in response, throwing the sheets off and getting up. Half-asleep, he got dressed for the day and went downstairs.

"Netto, I've put breakfast out on the table," his mother said with a smile. "I might have gone a little overboard."

Netto stared at all the food, stomach rumbling at the sight. Cereal, toast, eggs, milk, juice, and fruit was spread out across the table.

While being questioned by Chief Kifune and the force, Netto had managed to recall the events leading up to them being captured. He had brought his school friends to SciLabs and they had run into Enzan outside. While they had been talking, a van had pulled up and people in masks had gotten out to grab them. Laika had been coming to visit Dr Hikari at just that moment and attempted to intervene, resulting in him being taken as well.

Netto ate quickly, clipped on his rollerblades and started off towards school.

"Everything alright, Rockman?" he asked as his navi had been quiet that morning.

"I'm still adjusting. I didn't think everyone would take the news so easily," Rockman said. "Although Roll keeps asking me to remove my helmet now that she knows it's possible."

"I still can't believe that your armour is actually removable."

"It was always removable. It's just something I've never bothered with."

"Never having to change clothes. That's awesome!" Netto laughed.

The school gate loomed in the distance.

* * *

"Hikari Netto, you're late."

"I know, Mariko sensei!" Netto said happily, glad to be saying it alone again. He slipped into his seat and plugged Rockman into the computer.

Rockman stretched as he landed in the classroom's cyber world. Something crashing into him, two pink arms wrapping around him.

"Hi, Rock!"

"Roll!"

Roll giggled. "Meiru wants to know if Netto's free this afternoon."

Rockman checked the calendar. "Sorry, Papa wants us at SciLabs for more testing. He's free tomorrow afternoon though. Or this evening if she wants to help with his homework."

Roll hummed as she thought about it. "Tomorrow then. Meiru doesn't want Netto copying her answers."

"Why Rockman standing so close to Roll, guts?" Gustman asked as he appeared.

Rockman took a couple of steps back.

"Meiru wanted to know Netto's schedule," Roll answered.

Screens popped up around them as their operators appeared. Mariko sensei wanted them to find a certain program.

"Got it!" Rockman said to Netto immediately locating said program and booting it up. The data around him hummed, reminding him that things were back to normal.


End file.
